by Karen Frost
Chapter Eight
The Heart of a Dragon
As Mirrin had promised, at the foot of Mary Jane's bed lay a red velvet dress and thin leather shoes. Mary Jane found the clothing waiting for her after she took a long bath. The bath water, channeled, Godrick had told her, to Morlach from a hot spring deep within the mountain upon which the castle was built, had melted away the fatigue from her long journey and left her rosy-cheeked and clean. She had even managed to find a comb and comb her unruly auburn hair into order. The fit of the dress was slightly too large for her, but she felt grateful to have it at all, and the shoes meant she no longer had to wander barefoot everywhere. Her white nightgown, which she had been wearing when she had been called through the mirror and had turned into a patchwork of green and brown stains, she folded and left on top of the chest at the foot of the bed. She had just sat down on the bed, wondering what to do next, when the door to her room creaked open to reveal a floating lamp lit by a bright green flame.
“Come,” Mirrin’s voice commanded.
The word seemed to come from all around Mary Jane, who jumped in surprise. The lamp bobbed and started to float away as though carried by invisible hands. Mary Jane, recognizing that she was meant to follow it, trailed behind as it led her down the staircase, through a winding corridor, and into a large dining room. The room was cavernous, lit by a roaring green fire in a fireplace set against the long wall on the left. The flames snapped and crackled menacingly, as though they meant to destroy and consume rather than warm and comfort, and Mary Jane kept as far from them as she could.
A long wooden table and several dozen chairs, all roughly hewn, filled the room. The table was large enough that dozens of people could have sat at it, but only one chair was occupied—the chair at the head of the table, and in it sat Mirrin. Mary Jane wondered briefly if the other seats had ever been filled, and if so, by whom. Whether they had or not, now Mirrin looked small and pathetic sitting all alone. A mockery of a queen presiding over an empty court. Mirrin looked up and saw Mary Jane. She pointed to the seat next to her and Mary Jane sat down obediently. The sorceress looked at her appraisingly, her eyes taking in the red dress, then ate a bite of food.
“Eat,” she commanded Mary Jane when she finished chewing.
Mary Jane looked at her in bewilderment. The table was completely empty but for the plate of food from which Mirrin ate. Mirrin frowned, then snapped her fingers and a plate appeared before Mary Jane, overflowing with delicious food. Red grapes spilled over the plate's edge, pushed off by a brown pear, boiled potatoes, a thick slice of bread, and half of a chicken that had been roasted in thyme. Mary Jane suddenly discovered that she was ravenous and she began stuffing the bread and grapes into her mouth at once. Mirrin rapped her sharply on the knuckles with the flat side of her knife.
“You have no manners, child,” she said disapprovingly.
Mary Jane began to eat more slowly while Mirrin watched.
“That's better. Now, you will tell me what I want to know. Where is it that you come from?” Mirrin asked with the tone of someone who does not expect to be refused.
“I won't tell you anything!” Mary Jane said defensively.
She did not notice that her fist tightened around the chicken leg that she was holding. Mirrin set her knife down gently but her black eyes flashed furiously. Her mouth pulled down at the corners.
“Insolent girl," she hissed, "Have you not seen what I am capable of? Have you not seen Hissarlik, resurrected from death by my magic? Did I not call you here from across the void that separates our worlds and bring you to Morlach castle? There is no wall that you can build that I cannot easily shatter, no secret you can keep that I cannot take from you if I want.”
“What do you want from me?” Mary Jane asked, suddenly fearful.
“There is something in your world that I want. Something that I want very much. You will help me find it.” Mirrin said, her eyes glowing hungrily.
“What is it?”
Mirrin paused, her lips pursed. She replied shortly, “I don’t know.”
"You don't know?" Mary Jane repeated.
A small line appeared between Mirrin's eyebrows. She did not answer. They sat in silence for a minute, Mirrin tapping her finger against the table angrily, or perhaps impatiently. Mary Jane noticed that Mirrin's fingers were very long and white, and that the nails were pointed like claws. They were cruel like Mirrin, and Mary Jane didn't like them.
Mirrin finally continued, “Something in your world has been leaking wild magic into Devorian for years, infecting the land with its strange magic. I can feel it in the air, like a very fine dust that has coated everything in Devorian. Even in my slumber I could sense it all around me. Its power is intoxicating. Whatever it is, whatever the source, I want it.”
“But why?” Mary Jane cried. “There are only animals here now. All of your enemies, the king of Tarah, are all gone. With all the magic in the world you could never turn back time.”
A terrible smile spread across Mirrin's face, and Mary Jane knew that Mirrin's dark eyes were seeing something not in the room.
"Can't I?" Mirrin asked.
Mary Jane's stomach lurched.
“This time, these…talking animals," she said the words with contempt. "I am not interested in living out the rest of my life surrounded by chattering squirrels and talking horses. No. I will use the wild magic, together with Devorian’s animus magic, to reverse time and return to my rightful time. Then I will loose my revenge upon those who have wronged me. But I need the source of the wild magic, whatever it is. And you, child, you will bring me to it.”
“What if the source is something that you can't take?" Mary Jane asked. "The whole Earth could be the source of the wild magic, the way animus magic is part of everything in Devorian. You can't just pick up a planet and bring it back through the mirror with you, no matter how powerful you think you are."
“No, no, it has to be an object," Mirrin said impatiently, waving her long hand dismissively. "Something that was brought into your world. I can feel that your world does not have its own magic; this magic is something alien."
"Then why would I know where the object is?” Mary Jane asked. “It could be anything or anywhere.”
"Of course you won't know what it is. That is why you will lead me through the portal to your world. Once I am there I will be able to find it, no matter what its form. I will feel it. You see, it is not so difficult a task that I ask of you: only lead me through to your world. Then I will release you. I promise no harm will come to your world. You would like to go back, would you not?" Mirrin purred.
Her voice had become sweet and sinuous, like the slow sway of a cobra hypnotizing its prey. It seemed to Mary Jane that Mirrin's eyes had become giant black pools into which she was sinking deeper and deeper, her will to resist fading quickly. Just as she felt herself about to slip away entirely, however, she remembered her family: Jack, Maude, and her parents back home at 321 Baker’s Row. Blinking, she shook her head to break free of the spell.
“Why do you need me to cross through the portal? Why can’t you pass through alone once the eternal flame dies?” Mary Jane asked, her mind racing.
“I cannot pass through without the help of someone from your world," Mirrin said matter-of-factly. "Only my mist can pass through it. Without you, the portal is nothing but an old tree to anyone in Devorian."
Mary Jane thought of the terrible things that Mirrin would do in Devorian if she were able to find the source of the wild magic on Earth. Mirrin might even decide that Devorian was not enough and bring her stone army through the mirror to Earth, despite her promise. Mary Jane knew she might be trapped in Devorian forever, but she simply could not help Mirrin. It was the only certain way to keep her family safe. Mary Jane whispered, "I won't help you. I can't."
A ripple of emotion crossed Mirrin's face. Her knuckles turned white as she squeezed her fork and knife tightly, and her teeth ground together. She roared, “You will do what I tell
you or you will be responsible for what happens to dear little Jack and Maude. You may think that you are clever, child, but you are no match for me.”
She waved her hands in a rapid, complicated weaving pattern above the table before her and a green mist began to appear in the air. At first Mary Jane could see only the mist, but quickly shapes appeared within it like the projection of a video onto a screen. Mary Jane didn't understand what she was seeing at first, but then she saw Jack and Maude. The two stood side by side, their faces full of horror as they stared past Mary Jane at something that she could not see. Maude was screaming soundlessly, and Mary Jane could see a cut running along her younger sister's cheek. The two children wore dirty pajamas, and their bare feet were covered with dirt. There was no doubt they were somewhere in Devorian.
Mary Jane screamed, “No!”
Her heart raced with fear. Mirrin clapped her hands together and the mist exploded into a thousand green particles that quickly disappeared. The sorceress stood. Her face was impassive once more. She said coldly, “By tomorrow and no later, the flame that binds me will have died. When that happens, I will at last be free, and then you and I will find the source of the wild magic.”
She snapped her fingers and the gold plate from which she had been eating disappeared, along with what food had been left uneaten. She stalked out of the room, leaving Mary Jane alone with her thoughts. Mary Jane felt as though her chest would collapse upon itself. She felt desperate and helpless. She knew Jack and Maude were in danger, but was it too late? What had they been looking at? Or could it have been an illusion that Mirrin had created to scare her into helping, and they were still safe at home? She wished it was an illusion, but her instinct told her that they had followed her back through the mirror.
“She’s a right nasty one, isn’t she?” A voice squeaked below her.
Mary Jane jumped in surprise and looked down.
“Godrick!” She exclaimed.
The rat was sitting on the table, nibbling at a grape that he had stolen from her plate.
“Bah! Magicked food doesn’t sit right with me,” he said, spitting it out.
He proceeded to begin cleaning himself, licking his paws and then using them to smooth the hair between his ears and to straighten his whiskers. Mary Jane thought for a minute.
"Godrick, do you know where Mirrin keeps Hissarlik's heartstone?"
The rat cocked his head thoughtfully, his nose twitching. He drawled, "Hissarlik--might that be the old bag of bones what looks like it once was a dragon? I don't suppose I know what a heart stone looks like. Do you, Miss?"
Mary Jane frowned. She didn't know either. She said, "Is there a place where Mirrin keeps secret things? Things that she wouldn't want anyone to find?"
"Oh, I think I get yer meaning. Yes, I think so," Godrick replied. "I'll show you."
He scampered down the long table and Mary Jane walked after him. When he reached the end, he climbed down one of its legs headfirst and then jumped lightly to the ground. He ran to the same door by which May Jane had entered and waited for Mary Jane to catch up. When she did, he peeked his head out of the door and looked both ways down the hallway to check that Mirrin wasn't lurking nearby, then continued along the wall to the right. He ran ahead of Mary Jane, confidently navigating his way among the castle's many hallways. Mary Jane marveled at how large the castle was as she followed him. Morlach's gray passageways seemed to go on forever, twisting in all different directions. She knew it would be easy to get lost and never be able to find the way back.
They went down several flights of spiraled staircases. Mary Jane could feel that they were underground. The air was cold and felt almost wet. The hallways were bare and dungeon-like. Unexpectedly, Godrick disappeared under the heavy wooden door to a room, calling out, "It's this one!"
Mary Jane held her breath, fearful that Mirrin was in the room and would see the rat. When she heard no noises from inside that would indicate Mirrin was there, however, she slowly tried to turn the doorknob. It would not move. She whispered urgently, "Godrick! Godrick, the door is locked. How do I open it?"
First the rat's pink nose, then his face reappeared under the door. He looked up at the knob, his whiskers twitching, then his head popped back under the door again. An endless minute later, Mary Jane heard a soft clang and then the scraping sound of metal on stone. A small, thin knife pushed its way out from under the door, its hilt just barely narrow enough to pass through the tight space between the bottom of the door and the stone floor. Godrick followed behind, pushing with his nose until the knife was far enough into the hallway that Mary Jane could pick it up.
"You'll have to try to jiggle the lock, Miss, there's no key in there," Godrick said. "Give it a good poke and see if you can get it to open."
Mary Jane carefully set the point of the blade into the lock and pushed it in as far as it would go. She felt it slide into what could be an opening and twisted sharply. Unbelievably, she heard the lock click. She pushed the door open with her shoulder and stepped inside. The room was lit by a small lantern that struggled to cast its sickly yellow light in even a small circle around the desk on which it sat. Mary Jane was surprised to see that it was a real orange flame, not the green she had come to associate with Mirrin's magic. In the pale light, Mary Jane could barely see Godrick as he scurried over the desk, running carelessly over papers and knocking over a bottle of ink.
He warned, "We might not have much time. Better find that stone of yours quick as we can."
Mary Jane squinted and peered around the poorly lit chamber. There was little in the room besides the desk and she realized immediately that if the heartstone was indeed in the room, it had to be on the desktop or in one of the desk's drawers. If the heartstone was not in the room, however, it could take weeks to go through the castle's other rooms; time they did not have.
"Godrick, you're certain this is the right room?" She whispered.
"Aye, it's this one alright," he replied. "It's the only locked door in the entire castle, I'll wager. Whatever she's got in here, she doesn't fancy it getting out."
Mary Jane walked to the desk and sat down on the wooden stool before it. She picked up a brittle piece of yellow parchment paper that lay on the desk and tried to read it, but in the dim light she could not make out any of the words. She set it down and felt for the desk's drawers. Her hand found a knob and she pulled.
A pure, brilliant red light shot out of the drawer like a beacon. Mary Jane looked down and saw a giant ruby the size of her fist sitting on a small satin pillow in the drawer. Unbidden, her hand reached out to touch it, and her fingers wrapped themselves tightly around the gem. Immediately she felt a hot, fetid breath wash over her and heard the whispering of envious voices in her ear.
"What have you got there, Miss? Is it the heart stone?" Godrick asked, bounding closer and peering down at the open drawer.
Without thinking, Mary Jane snatched the ruby out of the drawer and away from his beady black eyes. The edges cut into her fingers until she thought they might draw blood. The stone felt uncomfortably hot to the touch.
"It's nothing," she said too sharply, holding the gem behind her back so that the rat couldn't see it.
"It doesn't smell right, whatever it is," Godrick said, his nose twitching and wrinkling. "It smells like greed and death is what it smells like. You should put it back."
"It's Hissarlik's heartstone," Mary Jane confessed, reluctantly bringing her hand back to the table and opening it to reveal what it held.
The rat looked at it closely, but did not touch it.
"Well that's it then," he said.
She nodded firmly. Godrick announced, "Come on then, let's be off. I don't fancy staying around here very much longer, do you?"
Mary Jane looked around the room and shivered; she could feel the heartstone's satisfaction at being in a place where dark and dangerous magic was performed. She could also feel the almost irresistible push the stone exerted to be reunited with Hissarlik. For a moment
a selfish desire welled up within her to never to give the stone up to anyone else, but she focused on Jack and Maude and the feeling subsided. She grabbed a small pouch that hung on the wall, shaking out the dried herbs inside, and slung its strap over her shoulder. Then she carefully placed the heartstone inside, covering it completely so that its magical light would not shine out, and shutting the door behind her, followed Godrick back down the way they had come.
